Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-04
HIS HEIRS WANTED.
Acuarous HISTORY FROM BorRrouar
OF LITERARY HERMIT.
His Heirs Cannot be Pound-The Wan
dsrings of This Eccentric Individual
from Boyhood to Age
,c..,,o,,.rce ., The Richmond Dispatch
ICOrrespOhuenU"V Vi 'H0
1,..,o.sr,v V. September ], 1887.

fling in CarvIn's Cove, lne HioSt Inac-
cessible portion OF our county. Vita
no COMPANIONS but his books, hemmed
in bv the mountains, this lone, lorn
bachelor led almost the life of a her
nit. except during the five months OF
the year, when, as was his wont, he
taueht district school. Strange that
n man with this the only source OF
revenue should accumulate enough
property to justify a chancellor in
taking steps to ascertain his heirs:
But our hero was man tiNt wasted
but little on the gratificati& Of his
appetites. He was strict vegetarian.
BE ate DO meat; he drank nothing
stronger than the beverage that gushed
from his mountain spring. SO when
he died he left several thousand dollars
worth of property, real and personal,
for chancery.
WAS HE A BnsER?
He seems to have reduced the cost OF
living to a minimum, so that he ac-
quired the reputation OF being a miser.
In his autobiography of fifteen pages OF
foolscap. dated Columbia, s. g., July
10. 1860, the writer assigns conside-
ration for his health as the reason for
adopting this abstemious mode ofliying
Can it be that a man with attainments
sufficient to command a good salary, a
graduate of three colleges, would con
tent himself with teaching district
school in the mountains of Virginia at
twenty dollars per month, and then in
vest these earning in real estate IN Car
wins Cove or loan them out to his ac-
quaintances without security If this
man had a miser's love for gold? Oh,
no, he was not a miser.
The writer first met Mr.. Carpenter at
a teachers institute in the year 1873.
He was regular attendant ut these
meetings, and not infrequently gave
expression to his views on matters be-
fore the body. He spoke with ease and
to the point, impressing the nearer as
man of intelligence and education, at
the same time his personal appearance,
his manner, and his utterances were so
bizarre as to provoke continual smile
from his audience.
When Judge Simmons searched
among the relics of the dead teacher
he found three diplomas-one from
Cumberland University, awarded in
1856; another from theological semi
nary at Columbia, S. c., awarded IN
1860, and Il third from a school Of elo-
cution and oratory, Philadelphia,
awarded III 1864. He also found, in
manuscript, an autobiography, referred
TO above. which reveals all that the
world knows of the early life OF this
odd character. From data found among
his papers the subject of this sketch
appears to have been born in the year
1918. lie writes
HIS HISTORY or HrdSELF.
81 was born in IS in Rutland
county, town OF Ira, in the State OF
Vermont, of respectable though poor
parents. My father sprang from one
Of two b1others who came over from
England and settled-one in Rhode
Island and the other in Connecticut
Father emigrated from the last-named
State, in which he was born, to the
State of Vermont, where lie married
NY mother, whose name was Lydia
Newton.
81 was the eighth of sixteen chill
dron-eloven boys andfive girls. j
While 1 was an infant my parents
moved to - [defaced] in the state
of New York, about - idefacedl
from the city of Rochester.
q was remarkable for enduring the
cold l recollect of going one day,
through the deep snow, half n mile to
a barn where father was at work, with
out a single thing on my feet"
He LOVED wHIsKEY.
81 had natural love for whiskey.
when five or six years old | could
drink it ike water, but it would make
me drunk. | was sent one day TO
carry some whiskey to the hands who
were killing hogs, not exceeding n
quarter of mile from the house, and
/ got drunk before reaching the place.
owe it all to Providence or to the
grace of God that / am not this day a
dlunkard or in drunkard's grave"
Il inherited from my mother and
maternal grandfather a fine constitu-
ton. / DO not recollect of ever having
been sick while small, with the excep-
ton Of having the ague and fever at
one time
1t was thought that his mind was i'm
paired by an injury received when
about five years old. "However, he
continues, when was about eight or
nine years old | could spell and read "A
little"
MY religions education during this
period Ito his ninth year, must have
been very much neglected. Although
my mother was n Baptist, and, L be-
lieve, a good Christian, still she had no
one TO encourage her in her -- [de-
faced, and in the discharge of those
Christian duties which a mother owes
to her children. The first meeting |
have any recollection of attending was
Baptist meeting held in a private
house"
81 have q faint recollection Of hear
ing mothertalk about God. Who would
punish the wicked, and about eternity
and a day OF judgment, but they are
only faint recollections.
BOUND OUT AND RUNS AWAY.
cat the close of this period l left
home. 1t is a characteristic
of the Carpenter family to wander. On
the night previous to leaving l was
bound to farmer named Pliney
Foster until 1 was twenty to learn
the business OF farming.
Mr.. Foster lived about forty
miles from fathers. He had five chill
dren liying-three sons and two daugh-
tiers. / was treated as one Of their chill
dren. The family was Presbyterian.
Mr.. Foster was ruling elder. He had
family worship morning and night, no
matter how busy, and most usually
read in these exercises SCOTS Common
tary with the notes"
Our hero next tells about running
away from his masters house with the
intention Of going to sea, and how,
hungry and cold and wet, he returned
to his fathers house, whence he was
sent back to his master.
Not long after this he made q pro-
fession Of religion, and with about one
hundred others joined the Presbyte-
rian Church. Had desire to be q
preacher, but couldn't see the way
clear.